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I need to go to an oral surgeuon now, apparently

I went into the dentist this morning, Valium taken last night, and took the oral sedation meds. I'm in the chair, gas on... but he looks at my teeth now and decided mi right upper wisdom is so bad that if her gabs it it'll likely break, causing severe problems , so he can not do the extraction. I need to go to an oral surgeon who can do IV sedation instead. So it' snow more weeks of antibiotics, tooth pain and wondering where I'll get the money for this. If I can't find one that will agree to payments I can't even have it done.

The problem was, due to my gag reflex he could barely examine the teeth beyond the x-ray. Once I was partway sedated he had a better view. And I think at least the right one has got worse since I can feel a space on the bottom of it.

I'm not a dentist, nor am I on the scene, but it seems like he should have sedated you to better examine them on your previous visit. You lost time here in arranging a corrective procedure because he didn't properly diagnose the problem, previously.

Just my 2 cents for any one reading this and can afford to get it done. Get all of your wisdom teeth taken out if possible. Sure, you could be one of the lucky ones and never have any issues, but chances are some thing is going to happen sooner or later.

Apparently as times goes on things get worse in the sense that the tooth begins to fuse to the bone so to speak, really becomes embedded and is much harder to take out if need be. Save yourself the issues!

At around 25 I had my first abscess and ended up taking one out. At 30, my second and after looking in to it said the hell with it and just went to an oral surgeon, he put me out and took the remaining three in one shot.

Woke up X amount of time later, mouth puffy, no real pain, but it was a pain in the neck to eat for a few days. Who cares though, what's a few days of a hassle.

No issues since and now I never have to worry about it again. Soooo glad I did it.

...you can always checkout the closest Dental school. Before I had dental insurance I went to the University of Louisville Dental school where dental students did the procedures with dentists watching over them. The process took longer, but was also much less expensive since you are helping dental students (and surgeons) learn by being their guinea pig.

If I remember correctly you are in the Cincinnati area. The University of Cincinnati does have a dental school, so you might want to call and check it out. Never hurts to try.

Diosoth, do you know if you qualify as low income? I'm sure there must be a low income dental clinic that you can go. It's not like you're the only person in the country to struggle paying a dental bill. I haven't had an x-ray in like 10 years because I don't want to pay for it

Diosoth, do you know if you qualify as low income? I'm sure there must be a low income dental clinic that you can go. It's not like you're the only person in the country to struggle paying a dental bill. I haven't had an x-ray in like 10 years because I don't want to pay for it

Very good point. I would like to add that the dental school in Cincy is also probably income based. I am disabled and before I met my wife (and obtained insurance) I was always given pro-rated financial assistance help with my medical/dental bills.

Very good point. I would like to add that the dental school in Cincy is also probably income based. I am disabled and before I met my wife (and obtained insurance) I was always given pro-rated financial assistance help with my medical/dental bills.

No question. There's a gazillion and one people who earn their living in human services. And we can't have them all sitting around twirling their thumbs or the economy would crash

I am actually majoring in RHS at college right now. Definitely place some calls and get in touch with some people who are more familiar with the services and programs in your area. But be prepared to fill out forms, lots and lots of forms.....

I called UC, got bounced around and never got to talk to an actual person, only to learn that without insurance I'd need to talk to the financial department to be approved of a payment plan, or hospital-offered credit. I think if I wanted that I could likely apply for a credit card with a low limit of 2K and probably no interest for the first year and get far better terms. Point is, I got nowhere with them and never got to talk to an actual person.

I called UC, got bounced around and never got to talk to an actual person, only to learn that without insurance I'd need to talk to the financial department to be approved of a payment plan, or hospital-offered credit. I think if I wanted that I could likely apply for a credit card with a low limit of 2K and probably no interest for the first year and get far better terms. Point is, I got nowhere with them and never got to talk to an actual person.

There are 2 places I can call but not until they open Monday.

You need to go somewhere where you can speak to a case worker or a social worker. Calling agencies yourself won't work. If it was that easy, there wouldn't be any case workers. They have connections and expertise.

I called UC, got bounced around and never got to talk to an actual person, only to learn that without insurance I'd need to talk to the financial department to be approved of a payment plan, or hospital-offered credit. I think if I wanted that I could likely apply for a credit card with a low limit of 2K and probably no interest for the first year and get far better terms. Point is, I got nowhere with them and never got to talk to an actual person.

There are 2 places I can call but not until they open Monday.

Sorry to hear that they were no help so far. I tried.

But it is normal to get the run around as there is usually a lot of leg work when contacting hospitals in order to speak with the correct person that can help you. I had to jump through hoops in order to get the help I needed back in 2006, but in the end it paid off.

All major hospitals do have financial assistance though and will often pay your entire medical bill 100% if you are considered low income. BUT you have to make those phone calls until you reach the right person.

There should also be a Free Clinic in the area that can help.

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Originally Posted by Phil.Pastel

You need to go somewhere where you can speak to a case worker or a social worker. Calling agencies yourself won't work. If it was that easy, there wouldn't be any case workers. They have connections and expertise.

That is true, a case worker could help out a lot. Maybe keep you from having to do all of the hoop-jumping and leg work. lol.

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Originally Posted by diosoth

There are 2 places I can call but not until they open Monday.

Well, try to have a good weekend. I will be up that way tomorrow Riding the Ducks and enjoying the Reds game

My first call Monday will be to the oral surgeon used by the family that referred me to this dentist, If I can pay a fair amount up front and arrange payments thereafter it's not a problem. I saved the $250 I'd have paid today, and got back the $100 I prepaid last visit. Plus the $200 I got selling off that junker car a neighbor wanted me to haul away for them. I don't know what this will cost but I'm hoping if I can pay that down I can arrange easy payments after.

The problem is, the teeth are in bad enough shape that they can not simply be grabbed and pulled. They have large cavities on the sides and this has worn down to the bottom some. They are in slightly worse shape than when I went in on the 17th, despite brushing an mouthwash. The dentist is not equipped to handle extracting a broken tooth and breaking one while trying would have left me in bad shape. Most general dentists are not equipped to handle complex surgeries on their own, if they were there'd be no specialty oral surgeons. For now I can control the pain/infection with antibiotics. If I can get in and have these taken out in the next 3-4 weeks I should be fine.

I think I mentioned sea salt in the other thread. Give it a try. It's only a dollar or two at the super market. Mix a lot of it in some cold water and rinse for a while. Don't swallow it, heh.

Got that, have been rinsing occasionally. The antibiotics worked well but I was off a few days- my first regiment made me itch 10 times worse than poison ivy after a week, second gave me a lottery of side effects after a week of those(had to quit them, has having trouble breathing, headaches, dizziness and my right shoulder was in excruciating pain) so I'm now on a 3rd. I've been eating a good deal of yogurt too. At least the antibiotics cut down on the pain quite a bit, to the point I don't need ibuprofen. Granted, the right doesn't hurt at all- dentist said the cavity might not be opened all the way.

I think a major cause of this was taking to the "home remedy" of lemon juice back in December when I felt the first signs of kidney stones. I was drinking plenty, and a month later I noticed the worn area on my left wisdom tooth. No doubt the acid really ate away at them, and my cheek store and compress much anything I eat or drink right in that spot.

I think a major cause of this was taking to the "home remedy" of lemon juice back in December when I felt the first signs of kidney stones. I was drinking plenty, and a month later I noticed the worn area on my left wisdom tooth. No doubt the acid really ate away at them, and my cheek store and compress much anything I eat or drink right in that spot.

A little off subject, but next time try lemon juice mixed with olive oil. I have had kidney stones 5x and my wife 6x and it has helped pass them all but once (which ended up needing surgery).

Got that, have been rinsing occasionally. The antibiotics worked well but I was off a few days- my first regiment made me itch 10 times worse than poison ivy after a week, second gave me a lottery of side effects after a week of those(had to quit them, has having trouble breathing, headaches, dizziness and my right shoulder was in excruciating pain) so I'm now on a 3rd. I've been eating a good deal of yogurt too. At least the antibiotics cut down on the pain quite a bit, to the point I don't need ibuprofen. Granted, the right doesn't hurt at all- dentist said the cavity might not be opened all the way.

I think a major cause of this was taking to the "home remedy" of lemon juice back in December when I felt the first signs of kidney stones. I was drinking plenty, and a month later I noticed the worn area on my left wisdom tooth. No doubt the acid really ate away at them, and my cheek store and compress much anything I eat or drink right in that spot.

I hear that. I drink a gallon of clover farms ice tea every day of the year. I think it has lemon in it--although probably not that much. I also smoke 2 packs a day. I have to go to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned three times a year.

1.) floss floss floss!! Dental picks are great to carry around! Flossing is more important than brushing. You should do it 2xs a day morning & night!

2.) brush with a SOFT bristle tooth brush! If using a medium run it under hot water first. Using hard & medium bristles can cause gum irritation and wear off yer teeth enamel

3.) circles or up and down movements back and forth wear off ennamel

4.) if you drink acidic, sugary, or dark liquids rinse your mouth with water...you should not brush yer teeth for 1 hr. after or before you drink those liquids

5.) use a straw!!! It cuts down on the surface area of the liquids

6.) use mouth was before you brush!

7.) if you have a sensitive gag reflex force air out of yer mouth while you brush to ensure you are getting yer back molars.

8.) if you have a small jaw/mouth use a child's tooth brush they gave smaller heads.

9.) be leery of a dentist who says they can do something and then refer you at the last minute...the dentist gets a kick back from the oral surgeon!! You pay them for the consult and check-up and then they get paid more fir recommending someone else.

10.) use angies list! Real people real reviews and you can find out who will take payments and you can compare costs and ensure you get a fair price!

Angie's List? Oh wow... they want me to pay $35 and buy a recurring membership just to be able to even read articles and reviews? No thanks. Kind of thought it odd they wanted me to sign up at all but I'm not paying for that.

I'm not knocking the suggestion but I do have a budget and I can't fit something like that in.

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UC hospital can't take me as I'm not a resident of Ohio. It seems all the free or low-cost Indiana facilities are in Indianapolis or further north and only serve residents within their general area, and I live just across the border from Cincinnati.

I've applied for a Care Credit account. The best I could do btu I still need to get money together as I'm looking at maybe $700 at an oral surgeon depending on how "complicated" the right tooth is to remove.